Caroline's Pains
by xoxbreyoxo
Summary: My interpretation of what Caroline might hallucinate about when being traumatized by the hybrid bites. And what it would do to Klaus if he witnessed it. Set in the scene in 4x13 Horrible summary, I'm out of practice haha
1. Into the Wild

**Author's Note: **So, I'm obsessed with Caroline. And Klaus and Caroline. In my break between summer and fall classes I am rewatching and found myself wondering what Caroline may have hallucinated about when she was bitten by Tyler and later by Klaus himself. We now that she was hallucinating at least the first time, because Matt mentioned it but we never got to see it. So this is my interpretation. Hope someone out there likes it. This is my first TVd fic, my first fic posted in ages so I know that it is rough and unbetaed but it's been swirling around my head for days so I had to get it out. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I definitely don't own The Vampire Diaries, The Originals or any of the characters therein, but I will put pen to paper in regards to their lives when the muse strikes.

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He can hear Caroline's shaking breathing before Tyler even opens the door to the house. Once they enter the house he can smell the sweat beaded on her skin as her fever increases, can feel the anger and hatred rolling off of the teen in waves. Klaus clenches his teeth before they come into view, falling into the mask of alpha male and trying to play nonchalant Big Bad Hybrid.

Tyler gently lays Caroline on the living room floor, just inside the spelled doorway. Klaus looks regretfully down at the blonde as her lead lolls to the side, big blue eyes blinking up at him, then gazes up at the posturing hybrid.

"You want to be in control, Klaus? Here. Now you get to be in control of her life. If you want her to die, fine. But then you can sit here and watch her die yourself." With that, the teen storms from the house, leaving the weakened baby vampire in his wake.

Stalking toward her, he steels his nerve before speaking, "Nothing personal, love. But if I cure you, that means victory for him. Don't worry. It won't be long now."

She rasps a shallow breath and he watches her eyes lose focus as she falls into a vision only she can see. Klaus pulls Caroline into his arms, jostling her as little as he can, knowing how much it will hurt her ragged body, and lays her gently on the couch. He reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, pausing when she flinches away and lets out a muted whimper before her breathing speeds up, panic flooding her features as he chest heaves.

"Wait…don't…gah…get away from me! No…"

Caroline falls silent again and Klaus stalks across the room, eyeing her warily. He can't place the tight feeling in his chest just now, but knows it was cause by the cries she just let out. He had never seen her so…defenseless. Not when he'd entered her room to heal her the first time, not even when he bit her just hours ago. The strength that radiated from her very being had still shone through her eyes then. The closest he could remember seeing the blonde look to being that vulnerable before was when she was fleeing the hunter, but even then, there was an inherent power visible.

Her eyelids flutter open again and she mumbles incoherently, giving him the impression he was only getting her half of a conversation, before her voice rings clearly. "Will these bites turn me into a vampire?"

Another moment and fear clouds her features again, murmuring, "Are you going to kill me?" He understands the helplessness she exudes now – this is a human memory.

Caroline falls silent for a while, her fever rising higher as the red wound on her neck growing. Klaus watches her closely from across the room, grinding his teeth as he hears her breathing growing more labored by the minute. The venom is spreading quickly through her system, he knows she probably doesn't have long before she succumbs to the blackness. He doesn't know how long he stares at the shallow rise and fall of her chest before her voice reaches his ears again.

"Elena? What are you doing here?" She's silent for a minute, her brow furrowing while she listens to the doppelganger's response. "What are you talking about? What message? Aahhh!" She jerks violently to the left, sinking into the cushions while she screams.

"I remember," Caroline states calmly, and for a moment Klaus thinks she's speaking to him. He scrabbles to think what she could be talking about, but she continues and he cocks his head to the side, interested in what she has to say.

"I remember how you manipulated me. You pushed me around. Abused me. Erased my memories. _Fed_ on me. The memories have been coming back, in pieces." She pauses, apparently listening to a silent voice again, and he growls lowly, contemplating who she is speaking to.

"I have a message from Katherine. She says, 'Game on.'" She exudes the confidence he knows now, and Klaus gathers that this conversation took place after she was turned, the power stemming from the vampirism. He moves slowly closer to the couch, leaning against the wall while her face contorts again, feels that tightening in his chest at the sight of the agony in her features.

"Why are you _doing_ this to me? Why are you doing this to me? Why?" She cries, her voice breaking. "Get me out! Let me _out_!" She seems to fall in on herself, arms wrapping around her own chest, trying to feel some comfort from the embrace. A few moments pass and her features loosen, her 'in charge' expression fighting its way to the surface as she calls to the mangy pup who left her here.

"Tyler. There's a latch. There's a latch on the door and I can't get to it. Tyler? Tyler, _please_, Tyler?" There's that catch in her voice again, pulling the breath from his lungs. But her face turns stony and she continues, picking up another one-sided conversation.

"I'm fine… Do you know what they did to me?.. I _lied_ to protect my friends. I lied to protect you. Don't you get that?.. You just stood there. When they were going to kill us – you just _stood_ there. You didn't do _anything_. You help your friend. _That's_ what you do… No, it's too late. Because we're not friends anymore. And what happened to me tonight – that will _never _happen again. So you take that back to your little werewolf pack and you get the _hell _out of my house." The hybrid grinds his teeth, adding another to the list of reasons he should kill the boy. The sad lilt to her voice is back when she speaks next.

"Why didn't you say goodbye? You just left… Well, if we're going to die, I might as well know the truth. Why did you leave me?" He remembers this conversation. It took place when he had the two captive for the sacrifice. "I was hurt. You know, you turned your back on me when I needed you." He wonders vaguely why no one seems to put her first, no matter how many times she gets hurt doing so for them.

"Do you think my mom wants to kill me?" She questions, suddenly. He moves to contradict her, knowing the bond between the women, but she continues quietly, "Yeah, well, I don't really know what to do with me either."

The uncertainty in her voice enrages him, bringing him to his feet so he can stalk across the room. Does she really not understand her own significance? Pacing like the caged beast he is, Klaus rakes a hand through his blonde hair while he tries to control his breathing. He notes worriedly that Caroline's has become even more labored, and he genuinely hopes she will fall into true unconsciousness soon, that she will stop suffering because of what he, and so many others it seems, have done to her. An hour passes silently and he's seated against the far wall with his head in his hands when she calls out. Eyes red rimmed with turmoil and exhaustion, his head flies up so he can see her.

"Daddy? Daddy, are you there? Why won't you talk to me?.. Dad?.. Just, let me go. No, Dad, no. What are you-? What are you doing? What are you doing?" She's shouting now, terror and confusion clouding her eyes. "What are you doing? Dad?" She waits for a response. She's sobbing when she speaks again, shouting in a pained and raspy voice, "No! Please! Stop! Please, stop! Please. I don't hurt anyone. I swear. Dad, I swear. I can handle the urges. I _can_." Her eyes darken and the light glints off of her delicate fangs momentarily before her head pulls to the side, staring at him with unseeing eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry… That's impossible. Daddy, you can't change who I am." She screams incoherently and Klaus slams his palms over his ears while his chest constricts painfully. He knows first hand the degree of pain that ones own father can inflict on a person.

The sounds die down after what feels like an eternity and her quiet, defeated voice barely reaches him just the few feet away. "Dad, I'm ok. I've learned to adapt. I don't _need_ to be fixed. I can't be fixed… I can't… Daddy, I'm _starving_… Why? You know this isn't going to work. Why are you trying to fix me?" Another sob and she's apologizing again. The blonde girl's features smooth out slightly, and she voice is childlike when she speaks again, tears in her big blue eyes. "I just always thought he was the one who got me… He hates me. My dad _hates_ me."

He doesn't know when he came to stand beside though sofa, but this time he does stroke her hair tentatively. There was a time, centuries ago, when he had cried to himself the same way. He flashes away when her eyes fly open.

"Did you—did you just bite me?" Panic is evident in her voice and he's not sure if she's coherent or still lost in a painful memory so he doesn't respond immediately. "Just get away from me! Get away from me!" Now he's sure she isn't speaking to him, but to Tyler. Though the guilt still rings through him, as it was his fault, and he knows what she is going to say next. "Are you going to kill me?" She waits for him to respond and he mouths the words and sees the fierceness flash through her eyes when she snaps a short 'yes' at him before listening to her memory again, continuing quietly, breaking his thawing heart again as she had that night, "I don't want to die."

Klaus is almost ready to say 'screw it' to the point his is trying to prove to Tyler. He doesn't want her to die, either. It was easier those months ago, when he didn't know anything about her except for the strength and light she exuded, even here on her deathbed. But her strangled breathing draws his attention, and when he sneaks a peek at her from the corner of his eye she is gazing at him with clear eyes. She sucks in a deep breath and speaks to him, instead of at him, for the first time since he bit her.

"If you don't feed me your blood, I'll die." One short sentence, and he remembers why they are in this position, why he can't escape the agony she's been revealing to him all night. And his resolve steels once again, though he can't look at her when he finally responds.

"Then you'll die. And Tyler will have learned his lesson the hard way." It shocks him that he so easily slips back into the villain persona he adopted centuries ago. The ice in his voice is honed and dangerous, even if his expression is faltering.

"How can you do this to him? To his mom?" Caroline questions earnestly, drawing a shaking breath before adding the final question, the one she really doesn't understand, "To me?" She thought he cared for her, wasn't that what he had been trying to convey? How could he not only let her die, but be the cause?

"I'm a thousand years old. Call it boredom," he clips out stubbornly. He still can't look at her, knows that if he meets her gaze he will give in.

"I don't believe you," she whispers, sucking in another pained breath.

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil, and I can't help myself," Klaus snipes, sarcasm drowning the hurt he feels, knowing that is how she feels about him on most days.

"No," Caroline's soft voice interrupts his thoughts, "It's because you're hurt. Which means there is a part of you that is _human_," she states matter-of-factly. The word causes his head to jerk in her direction reflexively.

"How could you possibly think that?" The question is gritted out through his teeth. The girl before him has never been shy about her opinions of him, how evil she believed him to be. He doesn't know what she's getting at, but he doesn't trust it. The distrust doesn't stop him from crossing the room, the words drawing him to her.

"Because I've seen it." The words are out before Caroline can think the statement through, her mind growing hazy. She decides to take it another step, to drive the accidental thought home with a truth she has barely begun to admit to herself. "Because I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all of the horrible things that you've done."

That blasted tightness in his chest, newfound emotions squeezing his heart painfully, makes the words come out choked. "But you can't. Can you?"

Drawing a strangled breath before continuing, the dying girl buys herself a moment before responding, not answering his question but pointing out something she isn't sure he's even admitted to himself. "I know that you're in love with me. And anybody capable of love, is capable of being saved." Caroline, the bright, strong girl who brings light into the lives of everyone she meets, genuinely believes it; believes that the monster of a man before her can be saved. That is the only reason she is able to say the words, because not only is he—his humanity—capable of being saved, but she _wants_ to save him. The glimpses she's gotten of his softer side have her intrigued and enamored. And she wants to see if that man can surface and be with her.

Klaus draws a shaky breath as he envisions Caroline by his side, by the side of Niklaus the human not Klaus the hybrid even, and his eyes cloud. He shoves the thought away and scoffs, "You're hallucinating." She can't actually feel that way about him, so he refuses to entertain the idea, no matter how much the mere thought pleases him. His ears pick up the faint whimper and the catch in her breath before she speaks to him a final time.

"I guess I'll never know," she relents sadly, and slips into the darkness. Struggling for another breath, Caroline squirms and tries to open her eyes. She hears Klaus call to her, fights to respond but nothing comes out.

"Caroline?... Caroline?" He sniffs quickly, fighting an internal battle. He's lived alone for so long, never feeling this way for anyone in a thousand years, and wonders in a fleeting moment if it wouldn't be easier if she did die. Wonders if the feelings would go away. But he sighs heavily as his thawing heart breaks at the mere thought of her not being there to snub and fight with him in days to come, the thought of her not one day relenting to her own feelings. With a broken sigh, the big bad hybrid rises and lifts the painfully still baby vampire from the arm of the couch she is reclining against and sliding into the gap gently. A quiet crunch rings out in the silence as his fangs puncture his wrist and he brings his strong arm around her, lifting the wound to her lips. For a moment he thinks he waited too long, that he did kill her. But then he feels her lips move, her mouth suckling gently against his pulse point.

She doesn't know if her eyes have been closed for seconds or hours, but they flutter open and she brings her hands up to clutch at Klaus like a lifeline. The sweet blood flowing down her throat isn't the only thing she finds herself reaching for. She feels his hand stroking over her hair gently, feels his lips against her crown as he whispers comforting words. She can't be certain, but Caroline swears she feels a wetness seeping into her hair, but she brushes it off and tangles her fingers with his, drinking down more of his blood as she feels her neck wound begin to tingle.

A few minutes later, her grip on him loosens and Klaus feels the petite girl sag back against him. He continues dragging his fingers through her silken hair as she curls into his chest. Exhaustion overwhelms her and he pulls deep breaths into his lungs, accepting that she is alive, that he was able to save her again. After listening to her reliving all she has gone through, Klaus wants nothing more than to pull her into his arms and never let her out into the world again. How can anyone so good, so pure of heart, be put through so much abuse and still hold onto hope with every new person they meet? A thousand years ago, he had been a gentle man, a hopeful man. But vampirism had changed him. His heart had hardened and withered and he defaulted into rage and violence in any given situation now. It made him question if he wouldn't end up snuffing out her light if he stayed around. But, then again, her own friends hadn't managed it yet and they had put her through more than he had.

The thoughts swirled around in his head for hours, until the sky lightened and birds began sounding outside the windows. Caroline shifted in his arms, murmuring slightly in her sleep. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck and he was finally able to glimpse the pinkened skin where his bite had been raging earlier. The flesh had knitted itself back together and she would be no worse for the wear after she rested and drank her fill of blood in the morning. But he swore to himself then and there that she would never go through this pain again. Pressing a barely there kiss to her hair, Klaus closed his arms around Caroline once more, sinking slowly into the couch cushions and closed his eyes and she snuggled into his neck.

They were in the same position hours later when he heard Tyler's boots stomping up the walkway, onto the steps and to the door. He slid out from underneath the sleeping girl and flashed across the room, letting his contempt of the boy show on his face as the louse rounded the corner, calling to the girl they both loved.


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:** I'm amazed at how many people followed this story! I had originally pegged it as a one shot, but am now going to try to follow the Klaroline interactions in the show through the end of the season/ maybe through 5x11. Love that idea? Hate that idea? Review and let me know!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the just awful emotional situations I put theses characters through.

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"I've done more than enough. I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity… Because of you, Caroline. It was all for you." He turns to walk away, reaching the steps before she calls out.

"You would have preferred her, you know. The girl I was before. The human me…" Caroline watches him stop short on the step, his boots skidding slightly with the abruptness. She can see his head quirk while he processes the words, while he turns to face her, stepping back onto the porch slowly.

"And why is that, love?" Klaus seems genuinely curious, though she can't tell if he's intrigued or upset by the insinuation. The Original comes to a stop in front of the wrecked blonde, searching her face for an indication that this was just another distraction tactic.

With a delicate sigh she turns and walks slowly back to the swing, sinking down into the seat. Keeping her eyes downcast, her voice was quiet when she spoke, as if she was ashamed of the words she was saying and that caught his attention. "The girl that I was…She would have _died_ for the kind of attention you give me now. She…no, not she—I…was sad, and lonely. Stuck in a world where I was never enough, for anyone. Not even," She stops for a moment, a quiet sniff alerting her audience to the tears filling her eyes. She feels the swing shift slightly as Klaus sits beside her. He stops his hand as it reaches, seemingly of it's own accord, to touch her; to comfort her. The gesture, as small as it was, gives her the push to continue. "Not even enough for me parents. My mom worked _all_ the time, mostly because my dad took off—for another man, at that. And everyone, everyone loved my best friend and not a single person in the world loved me. Even Bonnie and Elena, they preferred each other."

The laugh she lets out is humorless and dry, so unlike the rich and vibrant laugh he's come to associate with the beauty in front of him. He doesn't know how, but he needs to comfort her. The hurt in her voice is tearing through his chest, and he can't imagine how much is coursing through her own veins. "Well, love, I've spoken of their stupidity on numerous occasions. Idiots, the whole lot of them."

The corner of her mouth lifts slightly as Caroline turns to look at him through her lashes. "You're biased. You only know me as the girl who won't give into you. A fun little challenge." Klaus is truly taken aback at that. Did she really think this was all a game to him? Just a game of chase; the thrill of the hunt? "You didn't know the neurotic little twit who wanted nothing more than to best _Elena Gilbert_. You read my Miss Mystic application. Do you have any idea why I did so much? I joined all those committees, chaired several of them even, so that someone would want me around. So that I could feel needed. How pathetic is that? And if I screwed up, well then my mother had to pay attention to me for once. And that's how it went my whole life. I tried—I tried _so_ hard to matter to anyone. Just like when Stefan came to town. I had my eye on him and thought maybe, just maybe, that since he wasn't a guy that grew up with us, that he didn't know how not worth it I was, that I might have a chance. But he blew me off. And then Damon showed up…"

Caroline pauses, and takes a deep steadying breath. This was the hard part of the story. But if she has any chance of explaining who she was to Klaus, this was the key. But this was also the part that he wasn't going to like. She meets his eyes, for just a moment, to gauge his response so far. He is riveted, immersed in her words, in this peek into who she was before. She can't remember ever having anyone care this much about something she had to say. It's a powerful, if not overwhelming, feeling. A pale hand lifts to her mouth as the girl clears her throat to continue.

"And Damon wanted me. Or, it seemed like it, at least. And it felt _good_. To have someone choose me, I mean. He was the older, hotter brother and he wasn't falling at Elena's feet. He showed up and I was hooked. I took him home and… And when I woke up in the morning I had a hole in my neck, blood on my pillow. I had a beast in the bed next to me, and holes in my memory…you know how it goes. He used me for information on the people and happenings, as an excuse to go to the founders' parties and whatnot. Became friends with my mom. Not that this is the important part of the story."

"Then please get to the point, sweetheart. This little walk down memory lane is tiresome. And bound to get someone killed…" The man beside her growls out. He understands her defensiveness towards his advances now. If this is how she'd been treated by men and vampires in the past, why would she believe that he was any different?

"My point is, that I wouldn't have thought for a second to turn you away. I would have given in to you in a moment. And I would have spent every moment from then until the end waiting for you to get tired of me and throw me away. Don't get me wrong, we would have had fun. A _lot _of fun. And I would have tried just as hard at making it work as I did at all of my clubs and at school. But it wouldn't have been enough. It was never enough.." Caroline shrugs as she finishes, then stands up, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Taking a few deep breaths to get her emotions in check, she pulls what she hopes is an impassive expression across her face before turning to face the contemplative hybrid.

"Have you truly never had anyone worship you the way you deserve?" He asks, incredulity alight in his eyes. He doesn't expect the answering scoff and raises his eyes to her face, taking in her furrowed brow and sarcastic smirk.

"When? When could I have had a chance at even a functioning relationship, Klaus? Let alone be worshipped? I had only _finally_ gotten Matt to admit his feelings when Katherine killed me. Then I was focused on not _killing_ him so we broke up and did an on again off again dance until Tyler changed. And then everything fell apart and Tyler took off so I was alone _again. _And when he came back, or when your witch _called him_ to come back, you showed up trying to kill us! Literally. You had him summoned back to town to use as a werewolf sacrifice, and Katherine only even turned me to offer me up to you. And you—YOU!—have spent all of the time since then using him against us, against me, or chasing him out of town. When could I possibly have had the chance to even breathe, Klaus?" Her chest is rising and falling heavily as anger and resentment fly off of her in waves. She has been waiting to say this for far too long, hadn't expected to say any of it when she opened her mouth and only now worries how he will receive it.

The centuries old hybrid looks at this baby vampire, can see worry in the creases between her brows, the anger and fear swirling in her blue eyes and is taken aback for a moment. He has spent so much time and energy fighting for his doppelganger, fighting against the Salvatores and his first hybrid, even his long dead parents, that he never really thought as to why she would so spurn his advances. When it was all laid before him as Caroline has just done, it was easier to see why this girl—barely more than a child—would fight against him. Even with all of his own life experience, Klaus knew that he was hardly a forgiving person; that he held a grudge better than anyone he had come across in his ages roaming the world. And Caroline, she was probably the single most kind hearted, forgiving person he had ever met. But, and he was loathe to admit it, he had certainly tested her limits of forgiveness, just in his infractions against her own person, let alone all he had done to her friends, her town. From trying to sacrifice her, though that was hardly personal, to having the boy bite her only to prove his dominance, to biting her himself just the last night, he had to admit that from her perspective he had behaved atrociously. Why would she come to him when he had already proven that, even with his affections toward her, she was destined to be caught in the crosshairs, nothing more than collateral damage? And that was simply what _he_ had done to _her_, this didn't even take into account the danger she would be in if his many enemies were to discover the weakness she brought about in him. If he was truly strong, he would walk away from her right now and protect them both.

Pulling his attention out of his own mind, Klaus sees Caroline shifting her weight slightly between her heels. He notices the way her fingers toy with the hem of her skirt and he realizes she is nervous, scared of his lack of reaction, and he wonders how long he was lost in contemplation. Standing slowly, he crosses the few feet until he is just in front of the small girl, standing close enough that he can almost feel the rise and fall of her chest while she stands strong and defiant in the face of however he will react. In a fleeting thought, the hybrid can't help but respect that ability, knowing even his own siblings stand down when they expect him to lash out emotionally. "You're right, love," his words are barely more than a breath he releases, and they nearly knock the wind from Caroline's lungs. Before she can formulate a response, he grips her shoulders lightly, presses his lips gently against her forehead and is gone.

Whirling around to search for him, the baby vampire is at a loss. She isn't sure why she is still standing, knowing that he would have killed many others for lashing out as she had. She doesn't know where he went, and feels a sense of defeat in the tingling on her skin where his lips sat so fleetingly. Klaus wasn't one to take emotional outbursts in stride, so Caroline feels a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach as she sinks down to sit on the swing again. The events of the evening, of the last days, had taken their toll on the young girl and the tears fall unbidden down her cheeks. Several singular thoughts are swirling around her mind and she doesn't know where to begin.

Was Tyler really gone? What happened to Bonnie? Did they get the cure?

Minutes, or maybe hours later, the tears have dried and the broken blonde girl is able to get her feet beneath her again. Caroline walks slowly home, gulping down the night air and knowing that everything will be different in the morning.


	3. Stand By Me

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry this took so long to update! With no Klaroline interaction in this chapter it was harder to find a clear direction of where it wanted to go. But this is how it turned out. Do you love it? Hate it? Review and let me know!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the just awful emotional situations I put theses characters through.

"Jeremy Gilbert is dead," she looses the words as soon as the door swings open. Klaus doesn't speak, just turns and walks back into the house, knowing the blonde vampire will follow if she wants. He swallows the contents of his glass as he waits for her in the study. Caroline sighs as she closes the door, steeling her nerves before following the grieving hybrid—the grieving _man_, though they don't often think of him as such—through the house.

"Jeremy Gilbert is dead," she repeats, not knowing what to say without his reaction.

"I heard you, love. What does that have to do with me?" He keeps his voice bored, not wanting to appear insensitive to _this_ girl. "He killed my brother, after all. I don't imagine you expect me to eulogize him…"

"Ugh! No. I know he killed Kol. And I'm sorry. But that's why I'm here. Isn't this enough? How much death do we need to experience? How many more lives need to be lost?"

"Enough? Enough?! They killed my brothers! Plural! Finn _and_ Kol. And how many times have you all tried to kill me? I will say when it's enough!" The glass shatters in his hand but he doesn't even flinch. Caroline feels idly surprised that even as angry as he is, his glass shattered in his hand and not on the wall behind her head like the glass Tyler had thrown weeks before. She shakes her head to clear it and stomps a frustrated foot, but takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Are you serious, Klaus? You've tried to kill all of is. You _did_ kill several of us. And how many were on a whim? W are just a bunch of _kids_ trying to survive. Trying to make it to our freaking High School Graduation." The sigh she lets out, thinking how pathetic that sounds in the scheme of things, is world weary and far beyond her years. The anger and grief swirling in his mind clear enough for Klaus to realize how much he dislikes seeing her unhappy.

"I hardly think that you are all so innocent, sweetheart. You lot have spilled plenty of blood on your own."

"You came to town with the _express intent_ of killing the majority of us, Klaus—"

"I _came_ here to break the curse. It had nothing—"

"We have been on the defensive since we first heard your name—weeks before you even came into town. Then you got here and you had me and Tyler kidnapped to sacrifice. We escaped so you killed Jenna. You staked Stefan and you killed _Elena_. And then you took Stefan when you took off! You took the one person who constantly tried to take care of us," he hears the unsaid 'me' and it pulls at his heart as she continues, "and when you came back…you killed _Tyler_ and threatened all of us again. What did you expect us to do? Fall at your feet?" She finishes on a scoff.

Caroline catches the tick of his jaw before he speaks, knows that he is censoring his words, forcing his opinion. "I'm over one thousand years old, Caroline. Of course I have killed. On does not succeed, or even survive, without sacrifice. I will not apologize for it."

"I didn't ask for an apology," she whispers dejectedly. "I just want it all to stop. Can't we say it's enough? No more revenge, no tit for tat. Just…enough."

The fury rises in the hybrid at this request. "Why should _I_ be the one to stop—to let them get away with all they've taken from me? They—you," he spits the word and it hits her like a slap in the face, " killed my family! There's no forgiving that!"

"You daggered your brothers for hundreds of years! You can't believe that's better than us protecting ourselves, killing to survive or _succeed_," she hisses his words back at him angrily.

"There is a vast difference between a dagger and a stake, sweetheart. Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. Finn was killed in an attempt on _my_ life."

"Because you were being a homicidal maniac! You want to drain my _best_ friend because you are lonely, and selfish, and refuse to even try to form connections with anyone around you."

"I don't need connections, love. I will be draining the doppelganger because that is the cost of achieving my destiny. I didn't make the rules, I'm just attending the party."

"So who will be next then? Stefan? Bonnie? Me? Let's just cut to the chase, then, hmm?" She flashes across the room, picking up a small piece of wood from the pile by the fireplace. In the next moment she is in front of him, wrapping his long fingers around the makeshift stake and fitting it against her breastbone. "Do it! If this is what you need to even the score and move on, then do it. Stake me, call it a day and get the hell out of town." She leans against the point, a single drop of blood raising against it and falling between her heaving breasts.

Klaus is staring into her blazing blue eyes, not finding a hint of fear and clenching his jaw to stop himself pulling away. He wills his hands not to shake while they stand there, staring one another down.

Finally his hand loosens on the wood, still trapped in her grasp but not making any move to hurt her. "You will never be on the list, love." He turns away, moving to pour himself another drink. "Why are you here, Caroline? You didn't truly think you would create a truce after everything."

"I just want to be able to go to sleep at night without being afraid of who will be dead when I wake up…" The would-be stake falls to the floor as Caroline turns toward the door, ready to leave. She's about to step out of the study when she pauses and rethinks her retreat. "No, you know what? I do want a truce. Because we didn't start this. We didn't ask for this, not any of us. I didn't _want _this life. I never asked to be killed or tortured or kidnapped. But it's the life I have and I will be _**damned**_ if I am going to let you or anyone else take it away from me. You need to get over yourself—"

Klaus had been enjoying watching the empowerment bloom through the girl in front of him, but quickly cuts off her word flow. "I don't _need_ to do anything. I will do what I want and I will get whatever revenge I please."

"Revenge for what? If that's the way you want to look at it, aren't we all just trying to get revenge on one another? You killed Jenna and Elena in your sacrifice, you killed Tyler in the school gym. You had Tyler _bite _me, as 'collateral damage.' Kol tried to kill Matt at that damn ball your mother through. We killed Finn. And I'm sorry we did, but we were _scared_, Klaus. The entire Original family was here and you had plenty of reason to want us all dead. Your mom killed Alaric and your sister killed Elena and almost killed Matt. And you killed Carol Lockwood," her voice breaks a little bit, because she was truly innocent in all of this.

Truth be told, Klaus did feel poorly about that death. She was just a mother trying to care for her child in a scary world she didn't really understand. "And I know Elena and Jeremy killed Kol, I know they did. But Kol was going to kill Jeremy—or at the very least cripple him and leave him for dead. It was preservation. Don't you get that? We were just trying to live long enough for you to get bored of the 'small town life' and actually leave."

"What is it you want from me, Caroline? I can't change anything so why must you obsess about it?" Klaus sounds defeated and it almost scares her. She watches him swallow the amber liquid in his glass, sees the muscles in his throat flex and relax and she thinks on his question. What _is_ she asking him for?

"I just want to stop planning the funerals of the people I love. I want to stop saying goodbye." And this time she does turn and walk out of the house. She doesn't wait for him to answer, she doesn't expect him to. Outside, the breeze on her face, Caroline heaves a sigh and slides into her car. A few silent tears slide down her cheeks as she turns the ignition and pulls out of the driveway, wondering who will be next and feeling so much older than just nineteen.

Klaus watches her leave, chest tight with that uncomfortable feeling he had felt while trapped in the Gilbert's living room. She's right, he knows. This has all gotten out of hand and if it doesn't end soon, they will all be dead. But he doesn't know how to stop it. Not even for the girl whose light seemed a bit dimmer when she walked away from him.


End file.
